The streets of Manhattan sunk into dusk and the street lights began to flicker on. The window of the pizzeria glowed like movie screen against the darkening buildings. Luck and Star occupied a small table in the center of the window. To anyone on the street outside it would seem like a scene from a movie. The two were perfectly framed by the window and they seemed to be talking in an affable manner, each wearing a slight smile on their face, like when the hero and heroine first meet. Of course, if anyone watching could have heard the conversation they might have thought something different.
"You're new around here, I take it?" Luck asked Star as she bit into her pizza pie. It was covered with almost every topping available, except for onions and olives.
Star swallowed her giant bite of pizza before responding.
"Yeah, I've only been around for about five days or so…" Star answered.
"So what brings you to this corner of Manhattan?" Luck asked, continuing with the small talk. He wasn't sure if she meant to stay there permanently, but it might be a good idea to get a feel for who she was, assuming she would be hanging around for a while.
"A book," Star answered, taking another huge bite of pizza. She was clearly enjoying it.
It was then that Luck remembered their first meeting, she had been looking for a book that she did not know the title of.
"How are you going to find it if you don't know the title?" He asked.
Star looked up from her pizza for a moment, as if she had just remembered something.
"Oh yeah... you were that guy in the book store…" she said quietly. "Wow… I didn't even see it until now. Man, I must be losing my edge or something…" She took another bite of pizza.
Luck raised an eye brow, but decided not to pursue the topic.
"So why do you want this book, anyway?" Luck continued.
"It hit me in the head," Star answered.
Now that caught Luck off guard. He stared at Star as she ate, wondering if she was slightly mad or not.
"Let me get this right… the book hit you in the head? No one hit you in the head with a book?" Luck asked for clarification.
Star paused, a flash of panic crossing her face. But it disappeared just as quickly before Star answered the question.
"Well… I didn't really see who threw it… But since they threw it at me I figured I'd find it and keep it."
Luck narrowed his eyes. He knew a cover story when he heard one. Star wasn't looking for the book out of petty vengeance. But the way she described it, the book hit her, as though the book had been moving of its own will. This girl… young woman… Star Auros… something about her was strange, she was definitely hiding something. She answered his questions, but at the same time did not reveal anything about herself at all.
Star had returned to what was left of the decimated pizza, avoiding Luck's eyes.
"So what are you going to do after you find this book?" Luck pressed on. Of course what she was hiding could be nothing significant at all. But something about her unsettled him. She didn't seem normal. And so far, 'not normal' had meant plenty of trouble for the family.
"Go home," Star answered, working on what was left of the crust.
"And where is home?"
"Virginia."
Virginia. It was a long way to come for a book. But wait… didn't she say she wanted the book because it hit her in the head? When did that happen, or rather where? If she had come all the way to New York chasing after a book thrown at her then that was a vindictiveness that Luck would prefer not to be on the receiving end of. But if it had happened here in New York, then what had brought her here in the first place?
Luck was about to ask Star who she was and what she was really doing in Manhattan when suddenly her head snapped up and she looked strait past him. The look in her eyes had changed. They were piercing and alert. He remembered seeing a similar look on Firo's face when he was about to get serious in a fight.
"Ah. It's those idiots again. And they brought company," She said, stuffing the last piece of pizza crust into her mouth.
"Who?" Luck asked feeling even more confused than before.
"Those idiots from before," Star said, still staring behind Luck. "The one that ran off got reinforcements. Does this place have a back door?"
Luck looked behind him, expecting to see the punks from before, but no one was there. Luck slowly turned back to Star to find her standing, slinging her guitar over her shoulder.
"No one's there…" Luck began.
"Outside," Star answered. "And honestly, I've had enough trouble for one day. This place does have a back entrance, right?"
"Yes, it does…" Luck said. "But how did you…?"
"Call it a sixth sense," Star said with a wink. Then she turned on her heel and left.
Luck felt too stunned to stay anything and by the time he recovered Star had disappeared through the kitchen and most likely out the back door soon after that. Shaking his head slightly Luck paid for the pizza and walked to the door.
As Luck reached for the door knob he suddenly paused. They're outside… that's what Star had said. Probably getting ready to ambush whoever came through the door first. Luck sighed. It looked like he would have to arrange to have someone teach those punks a lesson. He reached into his coat and gripped the gun hidden there before grasping the door knob and swinging the door open.
Luck stepped out into the cool night air, and for a moment everything was quiet. But then he noticed movement in the ally right next to the pizzeria. It was indeed the three from before, plus four others. That meant seven in total, which were not good odds.
"Hey," the leader from before said, coming forward, a rough bandage across his nose which was clearly broken.
"You don't seem to understand what you are doing," Luck said calmly as the group advanced on him.
"I understand just fine," the punk stated, pulling a gun out of his pocket and waving it slightly in what was supposed to be a menacing manner. "We're looking for the bitch from before, and you're going to tell us where she is."
Luck turned to face the gang. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything there was a flash of silver and suddenly the gun, and a few of the man's fingers, was missing.
"Looks like you're having some trouble, amigo!"
Standing between Luck and the punks was a young Spanish girl dressed is a rather loud costume. In her right hand she held a katana, still strait out from the swing. At her waist was another katana.
"Wh-what the hell!" The man demanded, clutching at his mangled hand with his other one. The men behind him checked their advance.
"Maria…" Luck said, slightly stunned by the assassin's unexpected appearance. Of course at the moment he didn't quite care why Maria was there, all he knew is that it saved him the trouble of dealing with the band of lowlifes himself. "These men here think they can do whatever they want on Gandor turf."
"Really?" Maria asked, looking over her shoulder, her sword finally lowered. "Does that mean I get to slash them?"
The gang of misfits before Luck and Maria appeared cowed. One or two near the back appeared to be trying to sneak away.
"Yeah," Luck answered his voice suddenly cold. "We can't have people thinking they can do anything they want."
"Ok, amigo," Maria answered. She faced the group once again, this time a smile across her face and a spark of joy in her eyes.
Compared to Maria, the face of every man in the group visibly paled, fearful of the apparent joy on the face of the young woman who was about to cut them down. Nothing held them back anymore. The entire group turned and ran, the leader leaving a spotty trail of blood and he fled with the others down the street. Maria crouched, prepared to give chase, but Luck suddenly stopped her.
"Leave them," Luck said.
"What?" Maria cried, turning back to face Luck, confused. "I thought you said I could slash them."
"Small fry like that aren't worth it," Luck said as he turned to leave. He doubted that those punks would be causing trouble again anytime soon.
"No fair…" Maria said disappointedly as she sheathed Murasamia.
Luck made his way down the darkened street, heading back to his apartment, thinking longingly of going to sleep and temporarily forgetting the craziness of the day. But his walk home was not going to be quiet.
"So amigo," Maria said, catching up to Luck and giving him a knowing smile. "Who was the chica you were talking to?"
Luck glanced sideways at Maria but did not stop walking. He was surprised that Maria had been watching his conversation with Star.
"She was no one," Luck commented in an off handed manner.
Maria pouted slightly, upset that her question had not drawn a bigger reaction.
"You're no fun," Maria commented before peeling away, apparently off to find something more entertaining… or just something to slash. With Maria there wasn't too big of a difference.
I'm not supposed to be 'fun'… Luck thought to himself as he made his way home alone.